Chef of the Year

José Pizarro Chef Owner - José Pizarro Group

José Pizarro – often referred to as the godfather of Spanish cuisine – is Chef Owner of the José Pizarro Restaurant Group, which celebrates 15 years on Bermondsey Street this year. Today the group is made up of seven individual hospitality venues across London, Surrey, Abu Dhabi and southern Spain. Originally from the province of Cáceres in Spain's Northern Extremadura region, in his early career José first worked in kitchens close to home before moving to Madrid for a position at El Mesón de Doña Filo.

In 1999, José relocated to London and took a position at high-end Spanish restaurant Gaudi in Clerkenwell and then Eyre Brothers, an Iberian spot in Shoreditch, before later co- founding Brindisa restaurants where he was Executive Chef for seven years. When 104 Bermondsey Street became available in 2011, José saw the perfect opportunity to create his own take on the characterful tapas bars he had grown up with and admired across Spain. And so, José was born. Later that same year, he opened his second restaurant, Pizarro, also on Bermondsey Street, but in a larger space featuring an open kitchen - allowing for a more elevated experience, with greater scope for experimentation and a broader expression of José’s cooking.

In 2019, José Pizarro took over The Swan Inn in Esher, Surrey bringing Spanish dining to a traditional British pub environment, complete with garden and outdoor kitchen. José by Pizarro opened in 2023 within the five star Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers, followed by Lolo in 2024 – José Pizarro’s third site on Bermondsey Street – offering all-day dining with nods to the Mediterranean, and a cooking style closer to what José enjoys cooking at home. In southern Spain, guests can stay at the clifftop Andalusian villa José and his husband, Peter, have owned since 2022.

Named Iris Zahara, the five-bedroom property sits in the coastal town of Zahara de los Atunes and is available for curated culinary stays, with guests also able to arrange for José himself to host the experience. Since late 2025, José Pizarro’s contemporary Spanish cuisine has also been served at Keeper’s House at the Royal Academy of Arts, a lounge and restaurant space reserved for Academy members and their guests. Prior to that in a different wing of the RA, he oversaw Poster Bar by José and José Pizarro at the Royal Academy (now closed) since 2021. Beyond his restaurants, José Pizarro has an ongoing partnership with P&O Cruises as one of its ‘Food Heroes’, creating menus for selected ships across the fleet, and is a chef ambassador for Estrella Damm. José Pizarro is also a successful cookbook author, with several books to his name, including Seasonal Spanish Food (2009), Spanish Flavours (2012), Basque (2016), Catalonia (2017), The Spanish Home Kitchen (2022) and The Spanish Pantry: 12 Ingredients, 100 Simple Recipes (2025).

José Pizarro has received numerous prestigious accolades, most recently the Gran Maestre de la Orden de Isabel la Católica, awarded by Felipe VI, King of Spain, alongside the Elle Gourmet Award 2024 and the Medal of Extremadura 2024. José Pizarro Group was named Best London Restaurant 2024 at the Food & Travel Magazine Awards. José Pizarro is a passionate champion of Spain’s world-class produce and has harnessed relationships with suppliers across the country, spotlighted through José’s pantry - an online emporium of Spanish food and pantry essentials available to order at home. His culinary philosophy is rooted in the belief that great food should be accessible to everyone, and his cooking celebrates simple, beautifully executed dishes made with the best produce available.